Chapter Eleven: Consecutive Victories

Chapter Eleven: The Astonishing Winning Streak of Li Hao

Competitions are never swayed by the emotions of the crowd. Whether the loser weeps or laughs, whether the winner is overjoyed, the contest proceeds as planned. Those who lose yearn for a rematch, while the victors desire further conquests—many are so greedy, never knowing when to stop.

Li Hao and Lu Yao were still flushed with excitement, yet the next match was already about to begin. During this period, the arena remained open around the clock, bustling with throngs of people. After a couple more rounds, it would be time for Li Hao and Lu Yao to return home.

Everyone present in the arena was filled with anticipation, eager to witness what surprises the next bout might bring.

Barely five minutes after the previous match concluded, with the audience still caught in a whirlwind of emotions, the next beast battle commenced. This time, the combatants were a mighty black ape, towering three hundred and fifty zhang tall—the ape, among the lower creatures, bears the closest resemblance to humans. This particular giant ape had cultivated the laws of earth, making it a formidable defender.

The other contender was a white Ziyun leopard, two hundred and eighty zhang tall, of the metal attribute—metal laws focusing primarily on offense.

The Ziyun leopard appeared much smaller than the black ape. Spectators who had not placed bets were especially interested in this clash of offense and defense, curious to see which would prevail at the same cultivation level—superior defense or overwhelming attack?

Many in the arena, observing the ape’s heavy frame and the leopard’s nimble agility, reasoned that, ultimately, even the strongest defense could be breached. Ninety percent were confident that the Ziyun leopard would be victorious, though a handful doubted it could overcome the giant ape.

Indeed, ninety-five percent of gamblers wagered on the Ziyun leopard’s victory. This harmless form of entertainment was meant to help the young competitors who had come to Lishui City relax before the main event. Most of these youths were at the late Foundation Realm, with a few extraordinarily gifted ones reaching the Outing Realm, and even fewer at the Tempering Soul Realm. It was perfectly natural that they could not discern the subtlety of the beasts’ cultivated laws in the arena. After all, not everyone could possess the extraordinary, heaven-defying abilities of Li Hao.

“Brother Li Hao, who do you think will win this time?” Lu Yao asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Why don’t you guess, Yao’er? Whom do you favor?” Li Hao replied.

“Then I’ll do as you do, Brother Li Hao—I’ll bet on the one who looks weaker.” Lu Yao grinned, clearly thinking the Ziyun leopard appeared the underdog.

Those who overheard her thought this masked little girl was naive and innocent, but they were sorely mistaken. Lu Yao was not only gifted but also exceptionally clever. She believed the Ziyun leopard would win because, despite the ape’s imposing presence, she sensed a lack of agility and offensive power. Those backing the ape thought the same, but for the opposite reason.

Yet, when Lu Yao saw Li Hao’s mischievous smile, doubt crept into her heart: “Could I lose again this time?”

At first, Li Hao too felt that the Ziyun leopard would win after briefly sensing the laws of both beasts. Remembering the last match’s surprise with the black bear, he dared not be careless. Following Little Jiu’s advice, he calmed his mind and focused deeply on the laws at play. As he did, he detected a subtle, unnamed danger lurking within the ape’s solid earth defense. Normally, defensive laws would only contain a sense of stability and strength, not aggression. Yet, hidden deep within the ape’s earth law was this peculiar menace—so well concealed that Li Hao, given his limited cultivation, nearly missed it.

This intuition told Li Hao that the Ziyun leopard was in for a harsh lesson. He decided to test his instincts and wagered on the leopard’s defeat.

When Lu Yao asked, Li Hao wanted to see if she’d choose as he had, but her answer was the opposite.

“This time, I don’t think the Giant Black Ape will lose,” Li Hao told her.

Lu Yao, hearing his prediction once again contradicted her own, felt a surge of competitive spirit. She’d already lost her first kiss to him in a previous bet; this time, she would be cautious. Rather than bet against him directly, she quietly placed ten silver soul coins on the Ziyun leopard, muttering, “I refuse to believe Brother Li Hao can win every time.”

Recalling her losing streak, Lu Yao was unwilling to admit defeat. She hoped that winning this way would soothe her wounded pride.

Li Hao, bold and unrestrained, wagered with his whole heart. This time, he bet one hundred silver soul coins on the leopard’s defeat—a staggering sum for most.

“Ah! Children from wealthy families truly are different…”

Spectators watched Li Hao’s wager with a mix of awe and envy. For ordinary families, one hundred silver soul coins represented two or three years’ income. Yet Li Hao risked it all on a seemingly hopeless bet, leaving many sighing in amazement. In fact, these coins were his winnings from the previous beast fight; even if he lost, it wouldn’t trouble him. If he won, he’d have a tidy sum indeed.

The mysterious expert who had previously probed Li Hao paused a moment, thinking, “Perhaps this child is simply lucky—or just playing for fun, not caring about the outcome, which is why he goes against the crowd.”

Lu Yao was stunned by Li Hao’s wager. “Brother Li Hao, are you really going to risk one hundred silver soul coins?”

“Of course. Why, Lu Yao?”

Li Hao seemed unconcerned, but Lu Yao was genuinely worried. Their usual monthly allowance was only ten silver soul coins—a hundred was nearly a year’s pocket money.

“It’s nothing… I just worry that you’ll regret it if you lose,” Lu Yao replied, feeling a pang of sympathy for him.

“Yao’er, why do you always imagine me losing? Is it because you haven’t seen me lose yet, and it bothers you? Hahaha!” Li Hao teased, utterly unruffled.

Lu Yao, her secret thoughts laid bare, could only mumble her reply. Li Hao found her reaction quite amusing.

“Surely not, Yao’er—you really want me to lose?” he asked, suspecting her agitation stemmed from their previous wager and his victory.

“No, I don’t!” she protested.

Li Hao didn’t press further. To ease the awkwardness, he quickly pointed to the arena. “Yao’er, look—they’re starting!”

The odds for this evenly matched fight were lower than before. The ape’s victory paid out ten to one, while the Ziyun leopard’s was even. Perhaps the arena’s bookmakers were deliberately muddying the waters for greater profit, or maybe it was the contrasting laws of the two beasts that made the leopard seem the surest bet.

The referee on the battle stage called out, “Ladies and gentlemen, the outcome of this bout will soon be revealed. Let us witness together the triumph of offense or defense!”

With a deft motion, he broke the seal with a magic sign, and the two mortal enemies collided.

The Ziyun leopard gathered the laws of heaven and earth, its body instantly swelling, encased in a metallic aura that formed a great feline armor. Unleashing its full power, it circled the ape with blinding speed, searching for an opening.

The Giant Black Ape, unconcerned, activated ninety percent of its defensive force. A yellow-brown shield enveloped it, bristling with countless glowing points, as if it wore a spiked armor. The ape was holding back, luring the leopard for a fatal counter.

Now, Li Hao could clearly sense the source of the ape’s hidden danger—those very glowing points within its shield.

Seeing the ape simply fortify itself, the Ziyun leopard resolved to shatter its defense and expose its tricks. It struck with all its might.

With a thunderous boom, the leopard’s phantom slammed into the shield. The air trembled, dust rose and spread outward from the impact.

When the dust cleared, the crowd saw something astonishing. The ape’s shield flashed violently under the blow, but the leopard suddenly seemed wary, hesitant to attack again.

The onlookers were baffled.

Cautiously, the Ziyun leopard studied the ape’s shield, then decided to target the throat—the ape’s presumed weak spot.

But the ape was no fool; it would never expose its most vulnerable part. As the leopard lunged again, the ape directed all its energy into its thick arms, which it quickly raised to guard its throat, the glow intensifying around them.

Another crash. This time, both beasts were wounded, but the leopard seemed worse off—a testament to the power of defense.

Now injured, the Ziyun leopard faced an ape whose laws had little offensive force, but the ape seized its chance. Using its own body as a weapon, the ape landed a devastating punch on the leopard’s head.

The Ziyun leopard was sent flying, smashing a leopard-shaped pit into the arena’s floor. Weak and bleeding, it was battered mercilessly by the ape until, on the verge of death, it finally lay defeated.

The crowd was momentarily stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Then, sighs of disappointment and shrieks of excitement erupted all around.

Lu Yao was incredulous. “How do I always lose to Brother Li Hao?”

She resolved: “I’ll never bet against Brother Li Hao again. I really can’t afford to lose anymore.”

This time, Lu Yao lost not only ten silver soul coins but also her confidence in ever beating Li Hao.

The reason the Ziyun leopard suffered so much attacking the Giant Black Ape was that the ape’s earth defense law could absorb one hundred percent of incoming force and reflect sixty percent back on the attacker. In other words, any force equal to or less than the ape’s was utterly ineffective. To attack it was to invite one’s own strength as a counterblow—the stronger the attack, the stronger the rebound. With no defensive measures, the leopard’s defeat was inevitable and brutal.

Thus, a thousand silver soul coins fell into Li Hao’s hands.

In the next match, a fierce lion faced a savage demon mastiff. Li Hao bet on the mastiff and won again. From his one thousand silver soul coins, he made ten thousand more—now, truly a minor tycoon. Even after exchanging these for gold soul coins, he had only a hundred, yet that alone was more than a small city’s income for months.

This time, the mysterious middle-aged expert was amazed. Once might be luck, twice a coincidence, but three times? To call it luck again would stretch credulity. The man thought, “This masked boy is simply extraordinary.”

Li Hao, of course, knew nothing of this observer.

“Brother Li Hao, why do you always bet on the one no one else expects to win—and always come out on top?” Lu Yao asked, unable to hide her wonder.

“I suppose I’m just lucky!” Li Hao wanted to tell her the whole truth, but didn’t know how to begin, nor did he trust himself to explain it to the inquisitive Lu Yao. So, he just scratched his head and grinned.

If Li Hao told her, “Last time I won your first kiss because a mysterious being named Little Jiu told me what to do,” who knows whether Lu Yao would have exploded in rage or blushed with embarrassment? He dared not speak, keeping his shameless secret buried.

If he said, “After that, I relied on my own senses—I can feel when the laws a beast has cultivated are unusual,” Lu Yao would surely be full of questions. First, how could someone at his cultivation sense the power of beings a whole realm higher? Second, her curiosity might lead to endless inquiry, which Li Hao could never satisfy.

He had no answers, and the whole matter was still a blur to him. He saw no point in explaining the mystery of Little Jiu and his own transformation. Sometimes, a harmless lie is better, for everyone’s sake.

Lu Yao, impressed by Li Hao’s easy winnings, said excitedly, “Brother Li Hao, you’re amazing! With all this money, you can buy so many nice things in the future!”

In her innocence, she thought this was the perfect way to earn a fortune. Li Hao knew better—he couldn’t be sure luck would always favor him.

Li Hao had learned many lessons since childhood and understood the importance of moderation.

“Yao’er, in all things we must know when to stop. Never be blinded by appearances and lose sight of our true self. This is not something to be done frequently,” he counseled.

“I know, Brother Li Hao. You’re just like Grandpa—always with your lessons,” Lu Yao replied, playfully sticking out her delicate pink tongue and rolling her enchanting eyes.

Li Hao could only smile wryly.

His newfound ability to sense the unique laws of those stronger than himself was not without cause. In infancy, both his body and soul had been shattered; he survived only because Li Yang, the Divine Lord, used his profound laws to preserve his life. Placed upon the Yin-Yang Coldbed, he accidentally fused with the primordial force of chaos. The Yin-Yang Coldbed was a treasure the Divine Herbalist had acquired by chance in the cosmic void, renowned for its healing powers, though even the Herbalist was unaware of its hidden chaotic energy.

The power of chaos was a mystery beyond reckoning. Li Hao’s injuries were healed thanks to it, entwining his body, soul, and spirit with the primordial force. The suffering he endured as a baby defied imagination—it was as though his body and soul were smashed to pieces, then reassembled and forged together, an agony that would chill the heart of any living being. In adversity, however, Li Hao gained a blessing in disguise.

As his cultivation grew, the force of chaos within him grew as well. Other than his heightened perception, he had yet to discover its further uses. Since then, the Yin-Yang Coldbed lost its mysterious chaotic power, retaining only its residual healing effect—a mystery the Divine Herbalist would never uncover. Only by chance did it merge with Li Hao, prompting both Li Yang and the Divine Herbalist to sense something unusual within him.

When they detected the force of chaos, they were at a loss, unable to fathom its nature. In his quest for answers, Li Yang vanished without a trace.

Li Yang’s disappearance remains a mystery to all around him. Years later, seeking his grandfather, Li Hao embarked on the most arduous journey of his life.